Turnips...when are they ready?

[rodriguezpoultry]

I have some turnips growing outside. The tops are probably 12" tall. I can see the roots poking up just above the soil. They are the purple top with white bottom ones. The person I got seeds from said they can grow to be 6" across.

Do I need to fertilize these with liquid fertilizer? They are about 2" across right now.

When do I need to pull these puppies out? Hasn't frosted here yet, though it has gotten close once or twice.

Once I pull them, where can I store them? Will they do fine in a basement after being cleaned and the tops cut off? Or do I need to blanch and freeze them?



Also, does anyone have some good recipes for turnips or turnip greens?

 

[lesa]

They claim they will be sweet, if you let them see a frost. If you want to eat some right now- you can pull a few anytime. I have read that freezing turnips and rutabaga make them become strong tasting...I am planning on storing rutabaga in sand in the basement- but this is my first year with them. A gal on SS forum in Alaska, stores her turnips and rutabaga in sand, and has good success with it. I believe it is too late to fertilize. Keep us posted!

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

When you say bury, do you mean in a bucket and space them out in the sand? Or do you put them in a bucket and pour sand overtop of them?

Can you store them in the basement?

 

[lesa]

Yes, in a container of some kind. I use a big rubbermaid type bin. Always best to spread things out, so they do not touch each other. You can try storing them in the basement, without sand- but I am guessing they won't keep long. They are not thick skinned, like butternut squash, etc. I just checked in my Ball Canning Book and they have a section for freezing turnips and parsnips (and it didn't say anything about a strong taste.) Might be a good idea to try a few, in a couple different ways - and see what you like better. When you buy them at the grocery store, they have been dipped in wax- I've been thinking about that for my rutabaga.

 

[hoodat]

You can pull turnips for immediate use any time. I like to pull them when they are marble sized and cook the tops and turnips together. that can also act as thinning the row. The only thing you have to be careful about is letting them get so big they get woody inside.